by Fronetics | Oct 23, 2013 | Blog, Leadership, Strategy, Supply Chain
Red Sox fans are known for their loyalty, optimism, spirit, and patience. The Curse of the Bambino caused an 86 year championship drought. During these 86 years, and the equally long seeming gaps between the 2004, 2007 World Series wins and the upcoming 2013 victory (remember, Red Sox fans are ever optimistic) – Red Sox Nation aimed high. Yes we accepted each game won with fanfare, but we never too our eyes off the big win – the World Series.
In business the big win is achieving a specific goal or vision – typically large-scale change or a disruptive innovation. It takes time to win big. It also takes hard-work, motivation, and buy-in by your team. Here is where Red Sox Nation comes in. Here is what Red Sox Nation can teach business:
- Be persistent
- Celebrate the daily victories
- Never give up
- Never forget the big win is the goal
- Never aim lower than the big win
by Fronetics | Oct 15, 2013 | Blog, Leadership, Strategy, Supply Chain
Here are five things the supply chain industry can learn from Top Gear.
1. Speed is essential
Jeremy Clarkson advises: “Speed has never killed anyone, suddenly becoming stationary… That’s what gets you.”
For the supply chain industry speed and stagnation can be deadly. PwC’s Global Supply Chain Survey found that industry leaders (financially and operationally) have “supply chains that are efficient, fast and tailored – a model that lets companies serve their customers reliably in turbulent market conditions and that differentiates between the needs of different sets of customers.”
2. Innovate
At the heart of every Top Gear episode is innovation. Whether it be turning a combine harvester into a snow plow, a car into a motorhome, or designing a mobility scooter to that will “tackle the wilds of the British countryside,” the boys on Top Gear know how to get creative.
Innovation is critical to growth and to gaining (and maintaining) a competitive advantage. Innovation can also save you money. In Colin White’s book Strategic Management, he provides the example of Ikea. Ikea redesigned their Bang mug with the pallet in mind. By doing so they were able to significantly increase the number of mugs they could fit on each pallet (from 864 mugs to 2,024 mugs). The product redesign enabled Ikea to reduce shipping costs by 60 percent.
3. There is such thing as too much power
Fast cars are the lifeblood of Jeremy Clarkson. However, after driving the Ferrari F12 Clarkson surprised everyone by pronouncing that the car had too much power.
As Lao Tzu said: “A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: We did it ourselves.”
4. Be social
One reason the Top Gear boys have around 350 million views each week and are entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the “most watched factual show” is because of their banter.
In a Supply Chain 24/7 article Adrian Gonzalez notes that 30 percent of supply chain professionals currently block access to social media sites. The reason being that “many supply chain executives and companies are stuck on the starting line because they can’t get past the word ‘social’ and the perception it creates.” This needs to change. As Clara Shih and Lisa Shalett point out in an HBR Blog post – it can be perilous to be a social media holdout. That is, being a social media holdout means that you let others define your company’s reputation, your company is invisible and less credible, and your company is perceived by potential customers as being behind the curve.
5. Never underestimate The Stig
“Some say he never blinks and that he roams local woodlands foraging for mouse meat. All we know is, he’s called The Stig.”
The Stig sets lap times and instructs celebrity drivers on Top Gear; we know nothing else about him. That being said he is an integral member of the team, effective at what he does, and is respected (he has a cult following inclusive of 6 million Facebook “likes”).
Within your company you most likely have a Stig – a silent performer who excels at their job. Unfortunately, the silent performer often does not receive the accolades the more outgoing employee receives. This is to the detriment of the company – your silent performer might be your star intrapreneur.
by Fronetics | Oct 1, 2013 | Blog, Leadership, Strategy
Vacations are going the way of the dinosaur. I say – bring the vacation back.
The Center for Economic and Policy and research released a report in May on vacations – or lack thereof. It turns out that the United States is the only advanced economy in the world that does not guarantee its employees paid time off. That is right; the US is the only advanced economy that does not legally require employers to give employees either paid vacation time or paid holidays. Given there are no legal requirements, what percentage of private sector employees receive paid time off? Seventy-seven percent of employees receive paid vacation time, and seventy-seven percent of employees receive paid holidays. Not surprisingly the higher the wage the employee receives, the more likely they are to receive time off. Specifically, half of low-wage workers typically receive paid time off whereas more than 90 percent of high-wage workers receive paid time off.
Harris Interactive reports that people like the idea of more time off. Specifically, 50 percent of workers who receive paid vacation time in the top 10 cities in the US say they would be willing to sacrifice a workplace benefit for more paid time off. Ironically, although employees say they want more time off, 57 percent don’t take off the time they already receive. In fact, each year there are 175 million vacation days which American workers are entitled to which are not taken.
So what about that vacation?
Those who do actually use their time off don’t spend the time unplugged. A recent survey by Pertino found that 59 percent of Americans regularly work, check email, take a phone call, and do other work related tasks while on vacation. Surprisingly, 47 percent of those surveyed reported that they are less stressed on vacation if they can stay connected to the office.
Are you one of the 36 percent who are conducting business from the beach?
The reality is that taking a true vacation is important to both physical and mental health. Taking time off is better for work performance and productivity. For example, a 2011 Harvard Medical School study found that sleep deprivation costs American companies $63.2 billion a year in lost productivity. Ernst & Young offers another example. In 2006 the company conducted an internal study of its employees and found that for each additional 10 hours of vacation employees took, their year-end performance ratings from supervisors (on a scale of one to five) improved by 8 percent. What’s more – retention rates were significantly higher among vacationers.
Security is another reason why employers encourage employees to unplug while on vacation. The Pertino survey found that 77 percent of those who work on their vacation do not have access to their office network. Because of this employees use unsanctioned or unsecured cloud services (32 percent) and/or bring their work computers and files with them on vacation (35 percent). Public Wi-Fi hotspots are commonly used by vacationers, creating an opportunity for data, credentials, etc. to be stolen.
Vacations, true vacations, are endangered. Let’s work to bring them back.
by Fronetics | Sep 24, 2013 | Blog, Leadership, Marketing, Strategy
Breaking Bad, AMC’s award-winning drama, is dark, violent, gritty – and it offers 9 essential business lessons.
1. Don’t cut corners; quality is paramount
Look, I like making cherry product, but let’s keep it real, alright? We make poison for people who don’t care. We probably have the most unpicky customers in the world.
You can make a million excuses as to why cutting corners is ok, but the reality is that cutting corners is not okay. Quality has a direct impact on your company’s productivity, profitability, costs, image, and customer satisfaction. Strive not to meet your customers’ expectations, but to exceed them.
2. Know your competition
While it is unlikely that knowing your competition is a matter of life and death as it is for anti-hero Walter White, it is necessary that you know who your competition is, what they are up to, and gain a competitive advantage. The company that is consistently first to the marketplace and is the best in the marketplace is the one that is noticed by customers.
3. Create strategic partnerships
You asked me if I was in the meth business or the money business. Neither. I am in the empire business.
Throughout the series, we watch Walt determine which partnership(s) will best serve to further his empire and then he does whatever necessary to establish those partnerships. Walt takes things to extreme, but he does offer a lesson – strategic partnerships are an essential component to a successful business.
If you are interested in learning how to choose a potential partner – you can check out a previous post I wrote on Find[ing] Your Perfect Outsource Mate.
4. Stick to what you know
Look. Let’s start with some tough love. You two suck at peddling meth. Period.
It is important to know and respect your core competencies. As I wrote previously, you need to determine your company’s core competencies and how you can deliver the best value to your customers. Are there services at which your company does not excel, or non-critical services which could be carried out more efficiently/effectively if the service were outsourced? If so, you may want to think about outsourcing.
5. Right person, right position
You may know a lot about chemistry man, but you don’t know jack about slangin’ dope.
Want to be the best? Make sure you hire the best and that you have the right person in the right position. This means instilling a rigorous performance plan and communicating with employees. This also means thinking outside the box – moving people within the company, hiring from outside the industry, and even firing people.
6. Establish a culture of innovation
Innovation is essential to Walt’s quest to establish an empire. While I don’t condone Walt’s murderous and vindictive actions, the guy does think out of the box and does recognize an innovative idea when he sees one.
A culture of innovation is essential to a successful business. Establish a culture that encourages employees to aspire to innovation and rewards innovation.
7. Have a contingency plan
Did you not plan for this contingency?
It is important that you not just have a risk management strategy for the big events, but that you also have a plan in place to deal with the everyday events that are more likely to occur.
8. Learn from your mistakes
Never make the same mistake twice.
Mistakes happen and, as James Joyce points out -“Mistakes are the portal of discovery.” That being said, learn from mistakes, do not repeat them.
9. Motivate your employees
I don’t believe fear to be an effective motivator.
An Inc. article astutely points out: “When you think about it, the success of any facet of your business can almost always be traced back to motivated employees. From productivity and profitability to recruiting and retention, hardworking and happy employees lead to triumph.”
by Elizabeth Hines | Sep 4, 2013 | Blog, Leadership, Strategy, Talent
Let’s face it, meetings can suck. A poorly planned and executed meeting is a waste of time and money, and it can be demoralizing. Meetings shouldn’t be like this. Here are nine tips on how to plan and how to run an effective meeting.
1. Purpose
Every meeting should have a purpose. Meetings are often set up to happen on a reoccurring basis. The reality is that many times these meetings take place solely because they are in our calendars. If there is no reason to hold the weekly meeting this Wednesday, cancel it.
2. Focus
Have a clearly defined singular focus. Having a clearly defined singular focus keeps the meeting on track. If a meeting has more than one focus it is likely that one issue will be covered in far greater detail than the other, that the meeting will get off track, and/or none of the issues will be adequately addressed.
3. Prepare
Do your homework. Prior to every meeting make sure you have read anything you should have read and that you have completed any tasks that you should have completed. Additionally, know the lay of the land. For example, if the meeting is about the company budget and your employees are anxious over budget cuts – know this and be prepared to address your employees’ anxieties.
4. Invite
Invite those who should attend and do not invite people who should not be there. For example, if the focus of the meeting is sales, make sure you invite the sales team. Another example, if the focus of the meeting is the performance of your HR team, don’t invite your research and development team.
5. Leverage technology
Technology abounds and it should be utilized. Getting everyone in the same room is no longer necessary. Take advantage of technology such as Speek, Skype, and GoToMeeting.
6. Communicate
An effective meeting is not a place for you to download or transfer information. If you present information a manner that speaks to attendees you will motivate your employees and create buy-in. (The Heart of Change by Jon Kotter and Dan Cohen is a great resource on effective communication.)
7. Time management
Create an agenda and stick to it. Start the meeting on time and end the meeting on time. A meeting that is scheduled for 10:00-11:00 should not run from 10:15 to 11:15. Furthermore, if a meeting is scheduled for 1 hour, the meeting should last one hour or less (no need to try and fill the last 15 minutes if the agenda has been covered).
8. Facilitate
A meeting needs a leader. If it is your meeting – lead. Leading does not mean speaking at people for an hour; instead it means facilitating the agenda. For example, if an important but off-topic issue is raised during the meeting – don’t allow the meeting to go off on a tangent. Instead, acknowledge the importance of the issue and establish a time to address the particular issue. Handled correctly, your employees will not view this as blowing off their input, but rather they will value the fact that you will allot the necessary time to the issue.
Facilitating the meeting also means not allowing one person to monopolize the meeting. Give everyone the opportunity to provide input, and speak up if the agenda is being hijacked.
9. Action
At the end of the meeting review the action items. Make sure the right people are put in charge of each item, that they know what they need to do, and that they know when the task needs to be completed.
